


A little underestimation

by Catharina2003



Series: A New Life series [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (This is part of a NOT STEVE FRIENDLY universe, A New Life series, Adorable FitzSimmons (Agents of SHIELD), BAMF Jemma Simmons, BAMF Leo Fitz, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Sharon Carter (Marvel), Badass Fitzsimmons, But there's no reference to that in this work), Drug Dealing, F/M, Jemma Simmons-centric, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-01-24 06:57:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21334114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catharina2003/pseuds/Catharina2003
Summary: Natasha and Sharon go undercover with two scientists that don't seem all that experienced.Neither Fitz nor Simmons is going to relieve them of their fears.Why not make the two spies squirm a little?
Relationships: Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Sharon Carter & Natasha Romanov
Series: A New Life series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537915
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I got this idea while watching AoS season 6 and I just couldn't help myself.

Sharon and Nat were called into May’s office, there was no one yet present. ‘Why do you think we were called in?’ Sharon asked.

‘I don’t know any more than you do.’ Natasha replied.

‘Well, if you’d shut up and sit down, maybe I’ll tell you.’ A voice behind them said. 

‘Sorry May.’ Sharon laughed.

‘There’s a new drug on the streets, we’ve found a possible location for where were the drug trade is being held. You two -and two scientists cleared for the field- will go in as possible buyers, buy something if you have to, just get hands on the sample and try to find out who the manufacturer is. Don’t let anyone notice someone’s on to them.’

‘Hold up-’ Sharon asked. ‘You want us to take rookies into the field.’

‘The scientists in question have been a S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for years and has been cleared for the field.’ May didn’t even move a muscle betraying what she thought of this addition.

Natasha frowned. ‘I don’t like taking someone into the field when I don’t know what they’re capable of.’ 

‘That’s a shame, here are the mission details, you’ve got to be in hangar five in ten minutes, pack what you need, you’ll probably be gone for a few days.’ After those words May stood up and left.

‘Huh, wonder who they’ll send.’ Sharon remarked.

‘We probably won’t know them anyway.’ Natasha answered.

As they walked out, they briefly passed Daisy. 

‘Good luck on your mission.’ She smiled.

‘Do you know anything about the mission?’ Natasha asked.

‘Just what I need to know who will be going, for how long, etcetera.’ Daisy shrugged.

‘Then you know who the scientists are.’ Sharon asked, eager for information.

‘I do.’ 

‘Who is it?’ 

‘You’ll find out.’

‘Just tell me if it’s someone who can keep a cool head.’ Natasha begged.

‘Don’t worry, you’ll find out.’

‘What does that mean?’ Sharon asked.

‘You’ll see.’ Daisy laughed before walking off.

‘Let’s get our stuff. I have a feeling no one’s going to tell us.’ Natasha sighed.

* * *

Walking into the hangar, the first thing they saw was Head Scientist Simmons walking towards them. ‘Oh hi, I’m so excited to do this, it’s been ages since I was allowed in the field. They just stuck me back in the lab and never let me out. I’m so glad I was able to… convince… Director Mace that I have enough experience in the field to be able to do this. Won’t this be fun?’

Natasha had to admit, she didn’t know Jemma Simmons all that well. Or, to be precise, she knew nothing about the scientist otherwise then the fact that she had been in the same field team as Daisy and that they were good friends.

She must’ve been excellent at science, as she was head scientist at S.H.I.E.L.D. and one of the highest ranking agents in the entire organization, but if Natasha had to recruit anyone to go on a field mission, it wouldn’t be her. To be honest, she’d probably have picked Bobbi, who was actually skilled in martial arts.

‘Wait, if you’re going, who is the other scientist?’ Sharon asked.

‘Well, that would be Fitz, of course.’ Simmons shook her head. ‘We’re the only scientists -not counting Bobbi, as she’s a field agent first, scientist second- in the agency who have actually been cleared for missions like this. Most scientists haven’t had all that much practice at being shot at.’

‘And you have?’ Sharon said, a slightly mocking undertone in her voice.

‘You think it’s possible to have been in a team with Phil Coulson without having been shot at, at least once?’ A male voice said behind them. 

‘Agent Fitz.’ Natasha greeted.

‘Just say Fitz, please, neither of us-’ he gestured to Agents Simmons. ‘likes the agent.’ He turned to Simmons. ‘Is there no chance we can just hire a circus monkey to retrieve the drugs for us?’

‘Oh, not with the monkey’s again!’ Simmons exclaimed.

‘Just think about it, we could send him in and…’

As the two walked into the plain bickering, Sharon and Natasha exchanged a look. 

This would be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quartet of spies infiltrates the warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've updated but here is chapter 2.   
I managed to finish chapter 3 (the final chapter) as well, so I will post that chapter soon.

Jemma laughed silently as she saw the two women exchange looks. They had just read the mission file and neither of them seemed particularly happy with it. Then again, neither of the women had been happy ever since they found out who they would be working with. Fitzsimmons had a running bet with the team about how quickly the two spies would attempt to take over the mission. 

That bet was exactly why they had decided that Romanoff and Agent 13 would not be told how much experience both Jemma and Fitz had in the field, or that Jemma had experience as an undercover agent as well.

‘You want us to go in as bodyguards, and let you do the talking?’ Agent Carter sounded unbelieving. 

‘Well, yes.’ Jemma shrugged. ‘That makes the most sense, doesn’t it? If there’s any need for self-defence, it would be really weird if the two of us would just stand by, while you two do all the fighting, and why else would we be there with four persons?’

‘How do we know that the two of you will even be able to withstand the pressure to be able to take on the roles you have?’ Agent Romanoff asked.

‘By trusting the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t just sabotage the mission.’ Fitz answered, not even bothering to mask the annoyance in his voice. Jemma couldn’t blame him. 

The undercover roles weren’t even that complicated, he would just have to pretend to buy the drugs for a buyer who wanted to remain anonymous, and her role was the scientist who would make sure that they got the best deal. 

Of course, a big part of the reason that Jemma had gotten the lead in this mission was the fact that Mace was avoiding her (as he had been since she called him out for lying about being a hero) Jemma thought it was a little childish, but she understood that by forcing her way out of the tests, she wasn’t on his most trusted list any longer. 

It actually did concern Jemma a little that he was so easy to bribe. If she actually had meant harm for the organization then there’d be a problem.

However, that wasn’t a concern at the moment. Jemma quickly made sure everything was in place and she got changed. 

* * *

‘Okay, this is it.’ Jemma said softly. ‘Remember, Fitz has to appear to be in charge, I get to play scientist and you two just have to stay quiet until there is a direct danger that we can’t talk ourselves out of.’ 

‘I still don’t think this is a good idea.’ Agent Romanoff said. 

‘Just because you haven’t worked with us before doesn’t give you a right to question our abilities as agents.’ Jemma hissed. ‘Now let’s go.’

They walked inside the warehouse. Because of course, it was a warehouse, where else could illegal business take place? (Not counting backhand politics) Sharon was walking left in front of Fitz, Jemma on pace behind him, and Natasha was watching her back. 

They were stopped by a large man in a black suit. It reminded Jemma of when she’d first been in the field, and Daisy -then Skye- had constantly made jokes about how everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. wore black suits, and as such were easily identifiable, even if their existence wasn’t public knowledge. But she had to keep her head in the present.

‘Who are you working for?’

‘A man that wants to remain anonymous.’ Fitz answered, without moving a muscle. Jemma had to admire how much more skilled Fitz had gotten in the past few years. She could barely tell he was omitting the truth (it wasn’t a lie, Mace wanted that S.H.I.E.L.D. to remain anonymous in this mission, obviously) and nobody could read Fitz as well as she did. 

‘And why should we let you, or anyone in your group in?’ the man asked.

‘Because you want to sell, and we’ve got the money to buy.’ Fitz answered. 

The man drew a gun. Both Natasha and Sharon went on sharp. Jemma sighed, she could’ve predicted this would happen. The two spies weren’t exactly confident in her and Fitz’ ability to handle themselves in a fight, and there was a big chance that they would sooner let down their cover then they would have had they been on their own, in order to ‘protect’ the two scientists that they considered to be their responsibility.

‘Stand down.’ She said softly, making sure to make eye contact with both the blonde and the redhead. The message  _ We got this  _ clearly readable in her eyes. 

‘And who are you?’ The man asked her.

‘I’m the scientist sent along, to make sure you don’t just try to sell us heroin or coke for the price of this new and more potent drug you advertised.’ Jemma said. Once again working hard to make sure she didn’t flinch. ‘Our boss only wants the best goods for his money after all.’

‘And the other two women?’ 

‘Additional security vetted by our boss.’ Fitz spoke up. 

‘Protection for you or people to make sure neither of you runs off with the money?’ The man asks with a smirk.

‘Both.’ Jemma smiled back as sweetly as she could. 

‘Well then. Just show me that you actually have money and then you can enter.’ 

Fitz opened the case he’d been carrying. layers upon layers of freshly printed greyish-green 100 dollar bills were visible. Jemma kept a close look at the man’s face as he inspected the case. They couldn’t have him try something.

Luckily the man just nodded and let them in.

Walking into the sales part of the warehouse, Jemma felt a by now familiar feeling, that of adrenaline rushing through her body. It wasn’t a feeling she’d ever expected to get used to, but by now it was something that just belonged in her life. 

She addressed Fitz. ‘You go ask for the price, and I’ll see if I can get permission to test a small sample to find out what it consists of.’ 

* * *

Natasha had been tense ever since receiving this mission and seeing how professional this sale was didn’t help ease her worries a bit. Fitzsimmons had done everything perfectly so far, but that didn’t mean it would continue to go well. 

Watching as Sharon escorted Fitz to the buyer, her feeling of unease only grew. Every fibre of her being urged her to take over the case, tell Fitzsimmons to leave and let them fight for a sample, but she knew that it would backfire. Her stance with S.H.I.E.L.D. was pretty much solid, but Simmons was head of the science department and disobeying her orders couldn’t go well. Normally Coulson would stick up for her, but Jemma was part of his team as well so that cover was gone. 

So she allowed Jemma to talk to the table on which some samples laid. 

‘Excuse me, my boss sent me to analyze a sample of your drug, just a quick test, to see if you aren’t just selling any common drug. Do you mind?’ Jemma smiled. 

‘You think I’m just going to hand you over the drug for free so you can try to duplicate it?’

‘I couldn’t possibly duplicate it in here. All I can do is check if I haven’t already seen this substance, and it might even give me a look to see how potent it is. If it as potent as you claim then we will definitely buy more.’ Natasha sighed. Jemma didn’t actually believe that this argument would get her access to the drugs, did she? Maybe she would have to interfere, flirt a little…

‘No way.’ The guy said. Natasha rolled her eyes. Surprise. 

But Jemma did look surprised... and shocked. Natasha looked closer. No. She was faking it. Wait… The spy started to have an idea of what the scientist was up to. 

‘Are you saying that because you are afraid of me cloning your substance? Something that would be impossible to do without actually having a sample in a million-dollar lab, as every scientist would know? Because I don’t think that’s the reason why…’ The brunette let a silence fall. Natasha started to think she may have underestimated the woman. ‘I think, that my bosses worries were grounded. That you are indeed just selling crack. Why else wouldn’t you just let me check?’

‘That’s not tru-’ The man started, but Jemma didn’t let him. 

‘Well, in that case, I shall leave you and your cheap street drugs alone, so I can tell my boss that this was a fail.’ Jemma turned to Natasha. ‘Can you go alert the other two that we’re leaving? Don’t worry about being discreet, we stand nothing to lose from -’

‘Okay, I’ll show you the sample. You can see for yourself that we weren’t lying. This drug is incredibly potent.’ The man said. 

Somewhere deep down in her body, Natasha felt the urge to smile. This girl was good. She’d have to keep a closer eye on the scientist from now on. 

‘That’s all I asked for.’ Jemma said, her smile turning sugar-sweet again.

As the man gave her a sample to analyze, Natasha saw Simmons sneak a second sample into what Natasha assumed was a secret pocket in the blazer the scientist was wearing.

Jemma immediately opened her field science kit in order to do a few tests. Natasha recognized some of them due to having seen Bobbi use those tricks as well, but most went above her head. After a while, she nodded, gave what was left of her sample back, and walked towards Fitz. 

* * *

Sharon had spent the past ten minutes trying to make sure her eyebrows didn’t rise even the slightest, but it was a hard job. Somehow, Fitz had managed to convince the dealer to give him the name of the person who had supplied him. Or at least a name, that the man had hoped would sound reliable. Either way, it was a lead. 

Sharon was curious about how fast they cracked when threatened with leaving clients. It probably meant that they hadn’t had much success in selling yet.

After a few more minutes of hearing Fitz and the dealer negotiate a prize, Natasha and Simmons arrived. Simmons nodded. So that probably meant that the two women had managed to get a sample. Sharon nodded back. They had a name. Fitz and the seller had reached a base prize. 

‘Allow me to confer with my scientist to see if she agrees our offered prize is worth it and then we have a deal.’ Fitz smiled. It was a very layered smile. Managing to look both creepy and pleasant at the same time, and upon looking close, Sharon could just barely make his real look, one of discomfort, out. 

Agent 13 started to realize that she and the Black Widow might’ve underestimated the scientist.

They stepped aside quickly and softly telling each other about what they had found out and how much they felt was necessary to spend. Halfway Jemma’s explanation of how dangerous she suspected the drug to be, her face fell. She looked at a group of potential buyers that had just entered the conversation with the seller.

‘We need to leave.’ She said.

‘What? Why?’ Fitz asked.

Do you see the scientist standing next to the tall guy?’ Jemma whispered. Sharon looked, and she saw a smaller, Asian-looking guy with a science kit that didn’t look at that much different from Jemma’s.

‘I see him.’ 

‘He was Hydra and was at the facility when Raina spread that picture of me across all the screens. If he sees me, he knows we’re spies.’ 

‘What facility? Nat urged.

Jemma and Fitz exchanged a look. After a second, Jemma spoke up. ‘I was undercover at Hydra for a while after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. My cover and, as a result, Bobbi’s, was blown when an enemy of ours at the time, Raina, emailed a picture of me waiting for Coulson to all Hydra email addresses. He worked in the same lab I did. If he sees me, he’ll realize I’m undercover again. So, now can we leave?’

‘Okay, yeah, we’re leaving. We’ve got all that we came for.’ 

They just wanted to turn towards the exit when the seller said something to the current group he was talking to and approached them. ‘Have you made a decision yet?’

Sharon watched as the group the seller had been talking to studied them. And she saw the moment when the former Hydra scientist spotted Jemma, and he turned towards the man next to him to say something. 

She reached for her gun as the scientist called out. ‘They’re S.H.I.E.L.D.’

Sharon barely registered the curse words Natasha uttered in Russian before she charged. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the fight that breaks out, Jemma faces the fact that she's currently in charge of a field team.

Natasha had to make a decision. The kind that you had to make in a split-second or otherwise it wouldn’t matter either way anymore. That decision was whether she would help Sharon or protect the scientists. That decision seemed to be made for her though, as both Fitz and Simmons pulled out their own guns and held it towards the bodyguards that had just approached. Nat realized that it was time to stop underestimating the scientists. 

With a sigh and a heavy feeling, she charged some of the armed men approaching Sharon. 

* * *

Jemma realized one thing at the moment it all went down the drain. Natasha and Sharon would fight better if they didn’t have to worry about the two scientists that the two spies had felt were a liability all this time. So she pulled her gun, knowing that Fitz would pull his as well, and she aimed it at the bodyguard closest to her. She didn’t want to shoot him lethally, she wasn’t planning on adding any deaths to her conscience, so she aimed at his leg. She’d received plenty of firearm training -it had started after Ward had betrayed the team- and she had fired guns before. But it had never actually been on her before. She’d never been the most senior, or the highest-ranked, agent in the field before. That responsibility had laid on Coulson, on May, on Bobbi, on Hunter, even on Daisy, but it had never been on her before. It was up to her to make the hard decisions, and if things went wrong, they would be up to her as well. 

Jemma closed her eyes for a second and then fired. The bullet when straight into his leg, but she already knew it hadn’t hit anything that would be permanently damaged. She’d had enough experience in both medicine and regular biology to be certain of that. She placed another shot, this time to his right arm. That would make it a whole lot harder to shoot anyone. 

She didn’t even have to look to know that Fitz had placed similar shots to the other bodyguard that had been near the door. She looked him in the eye. Then she eyed the stacks of drugs, now abandoned, and the door. She looked at him once more.  _ Do you understand?  _ Fitz looked like he wanted to protest but he nodded. 

Jemma turned away, towards the dealer. He had been avoiding both Natasha’s and Sharon’s attacks by practically using anyone he could find as a living shield. Jemma looked around. The scientist that had recognized her, as well as his current boss, were unconscious on the ground. So were multiple bodyguards. Several men had bullets in their body, but she couldn’t see any fatal wounds. 

She walked towards the dealer and placed a gun to his head.  _ Now it’s time to start bluffing.  _ Jemma knew that if she wasn’t one hundred per cent convincing, this entire mission would fail. 

‘Tell your men to stand down and turn yourself in.’ Jemma said, her voice low. 

‘Why would I do that?’ The man said, only the sweat in his neck betraying his nervousness. 

‘You turn yourself in, we can get you a deal, witness protection maybe, your wounded men will get proper hospital care and your boss can’t kill you when he finds out that you let S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrate your ranks. Reason enough?’ 

‘Okay, okay, you win.’ The dealer said. His hand edging towards his jacket. 

‘If you try to grab that gun, I will pull the trigger.’ Jemma warned. (lied) 

The man sighed. ‘Fine.’ He straightened his back and raised his voice. ‘Everyone let the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents go. I surrender.’ 

The change in the room was immediate. First from hostile to hesitant, and when the two spies realized it wasn’t a trick and stopped fighting, a complete silence went down on the room. 

Jemma reached for her comm and told S.H.I.E.L.D. to send a plane. The people in need of urgent treatment were quickly bandaged by Jemma while Natasha and Sharon made sure that nobody would try to make a break for it. 

Jemma ignored the looks from Natasha and Sharon, and their attempts at making a conversation, in favor of talking with Fitz. 

‘You know I wouldn’t have left, right?’

‘I would not have been surprised.’

‘We both know that the only reason you asked me to leave was that you were going to do something stupid.’

‘It wasn’t stupid, it was tactical.’

….

* * *

Natasha looked at the two bickering scientists and smiled. 

‘And then to think that we thought that we were going to have to save their asses.’ Sharon said behind her.

‘How much do you think they bet on us trying to take over the mission?’ Nat said with a smirk.

‘What do you mean?’ 

‘There only was one reason for them not to tell us in advance that they had experience going undercover. That reason is a bet.’

‘So you think the two of them had a bet?’

‘No, I think they had a bet with Coulson and May.’

‘In that case, I think there is a better question.’ Sharon laughed. 

‘If someone won, and if that’s a yes, who.’

‘Now I’m confused.’ Natasha admitted.

‘We never took over the mission. Chances are they bet on when.’

* * *

A day later:

‘Wait, what do you mean May won? She bet that they wouldn’t try to take over until after there had been a fight…’ Coulson exclaimed.

‘Easy,’ Daisy smirked. ‘The mission ended after the fight. They didn’t try to take over before then, or, more specifically, until then.’

‘Remind me why I still bet against May?’

‘I have no idea.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...  
That was it for this work. I originally planned it to be part of the main 'A New Life' work, but then I realised it fit better loose.  
I actually came up with this work after seeing AoS S6, when I realised that I needed more badass Fitzsimmons in my life.   
Anyways, I hope you all liked it, and please comment if you have any other ideas for shorter fics I can place in this universe.


End file.
